May is Sports & Physical Fitness Month and Women’s Health Month. And as we think about these topics, it’s easy to understand how easy it might be for individuals to go overboard with their fitness or health goals.

And, although sports activities can be a great way to promote overall health, build self-esteem, and encourage teamwork; the pressure to excel can pose significant risk to teenage and adult athletes. This is especially true in sports that have weight requirements (judo, boxing, wrestling, etc.) or require endurance (swimming, long-distance running, gymnastics, etc.).

One study found the prevalence rates for eating disorders to be higher in athletes compared to non-athletes and to range from 6-45% in female athletes and 0-19% in male athletes. Especially among the pressure of competitive sports athletes, there is an increased vulnerability to develop an eating disorder.*

Whether you, or a loved one may be participating in sports or physical fitness programs, it’s important to make sure the environment and culture of that activity is based on positive body image and not a requirement to either lose or gain weight and/or to maintain close control of body composition. 

Some good tips to keep in mind include:

-  Ensure you are getting nutrition or weight recommendations from qualified professionals (i.e., Registered Dieticians, Doctors, Nutrionists). This may not necessarily include the sports coach.

-  Ensure the culture of the sports program focuses on motivation, teamwork, dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm rather than body weight, shape, or body composition.

-  Ensure you work with a coach who will build a strong personal relationship with you or your athlete.

• -  Ensure coaches foster positive body image messaging and culture within their team.

-  Finally, communicate with your athlete’s coach so disordered eating can be detected early and referred to the right professional for help.

Ultimately, we all want to feel healthy and comfortable in our bodies. Sports activities can help us achieve that. But, disordered eating in athletes can have far-reaching consequences and affect cardiovascular, reproductive, and mental health. As long as we maintain a healthy balance with our sporting activities, we can achieve our goals and protect our overall health.

* https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-and-athletes-2/